


Blank Slate

by wesawbears



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 10:51:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12364125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wesawbears/pseuds/wesawbears
Summary: Jean telling Kevin about him and Jeremy's relationship leads Jean and Kevin to finally clear the air of everything between them.





	Blank Slate

“You should know something,” Jean says, laying in bed with Jeremy while he absently plays with Jean’s fingers. He can’t figure out why Jeremy is so obsessed with them, but he’s not going to complain, not when Jeremy’s hand in his is the only thing that keeps him upright some days.

“Oh?” Jeremy asks, running his lips over Jean’s fingers and making him curse under his breath. He’s going to hate breaking this moment.

“Kevin has a crush on you.”

Jeremy stills. “Oh yeah?” he asks, leaning up on one elbow.

Jean nods. “So I have to tell him before we come out publicly.”

Jeremy kisses his palm. “Do you want me to instead? I know you two aren’t on the best terms…”

Jean shakes his head. “I have to do this.”

Jeremy nods in understanding. “Well, you know I’m here for you. And you know I’ll always pick you, over anyone else.”

“I know, my love.” He pulls Jeremy back down into his arms, savoring the feeling of him warm and safe there. It had taken him so long to recognize that he deserved this happiness and he would be hard pressed to let Kevin damper his mood and his peace.

\--

Kevin woke to a text message from Jean, which he should have known would set the tone for the rest of the day. The two of them were civil, but they weren’t talking every day by any means. Even more ominous was the fact that Jean’s text read only, “I need to talk to you.”

He groaned and sat up, already feeling a headache coming on as he dialed.

“Jean? What’s-”

“Jeremy and I are dating. We’re coming out publicly soon. I thought you should know.”

The world felt like it shifted a bit. Kevin stuttered out, “W-what?”

“I will not repeat myself.”

“But you-I didn’t think you would want that. After everything.”

Jean was silent for a moment. “You don’t think I’m capable of being in a relationship.”

“I didn’t say that. I only meant that I didn’t know you were gay.”

Jean snorted. “It’s not as though you asked. You barely spoke to me unless you needed a favor.”

“You mean how you treat me now?”

“I don’t owe you anything.”

Kevin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “If we’re going to do this, we’re not talking over the phone. If we’re really going to get this out, we’re going to have to see each other.”

They hung up and Kevin took a deep breath. He didn’t want to face this, but it looked like he had no choice.

\--

They met the next week at a practice court no one in the community used except Kevin, at least not at this time of year. Meeting each other on the court was potentially dangerous, but it was the only place that could really be termed neutral territory between them.

They met in the center and shook hands before starting some drills. It had been a long time since Jean had been able to really let out his frustration on the court, but he knew Kevin wouldn’t break, no matter how hard he pushed.

Once they paused for a water break, they sat on the bench and the real reason for being there launched back into their minds.

Jean opened, saying, “I will not discuss Jeremy like he’s a piece of meat we’re fighting over. The real issue here is between us.”

Kevin nodded, before saying, “...you knew I wouldn’t react well, but you told me anyway. Did you just want to hurt me?”

Jean rolled his eyes. “Has it occurred to you that you are not the center of every life decision I make?”

“I don’t- I never thought I was.”

“Please,” Jean said. “Your entire life has been predicated on me doing worse than you, so you can say ‘at least I’m not Jean’ and avoid dealing with your issues. But now that I am genuinely happy and in a good place, you have to face how unhappy you are.”

“I’m not unhappy. You just want to see me worse off because you think I deserve it. How long are you going to blame me for what happened? It was Riko, not me.”

Jean’s eyes went cold. “You are not blameless. You knew what he would do to me that night. You knew and you left me.”

“I couldn’t stay!” Kevin cried out. “I couldn’t look at him. You never cared about Exy. If I had stayed, I would have lost what mattered most to me.”

Jean huffed out a humorless laugh. “What matters most- you would have lost a game. I lost my dignity, my ability to see myself as a person. You have no idea.”

“Really? I don’t know what it’s like to wake up feeling like I’m one half of a person? I would give anything to be rid of him. And you don’t get to look at me and act like you don’t think of him. I know you better than that.”

Jean sighed heavily, some of the fight going out of him. “You’re right. I do still think of him. But I’m done giving him the power to keep me from being happy. That’s part of why Jeremy and I made this decision. He would have hated it.”

Kevin nodded. “He would hate us being friends too. He was always afraid that if we worked together, his power over us wouldn’t be as strong.”

Jean smiled ruefully. “He wasn’t wrong.”

“I’m sorry,” Kevin said. “For not trying harder to help you. I know you didn’t deserve to be treated like a worst case scenario. I was a horrible friend.”

Jean waved a hand. “It isn’t as though true friendship was possible in the Nest.”

They sat in silence until Kevin asked, “Is spite a good enough reason to try?”

Jean laughed. “I can think of worse reasons.”

They stepped back onto the court and it was easy to slide back into the rhythm they’d always played in. Only now, it felt more like a dance than a fight. They were moving toward something instead of away from each other. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.


End file.
